After more than 15 months on the sidelines, Louis Gaudinot (6-2 MMA, 1-1 UFC) is praying he made the right choice. Rather than undergo surgery for a few injuries that kept him out of action, “Goodnight” decided to take the slow road back to recovery through intense rehab and patience.

Tim Elliott (9-3-1 MMA, 1-1 UFC) will help him determine whether or not he made a good decision.

“I could have had surgery and stuff, but I decided to take the rehab route and possibly take a little bit longer,” Gaudinot told MMAjunkie.com Radio (www.mmajunkie.com/radio). “But I didn’t want to get cut open and all that, so I’m feeling good. I’m feeling healthy. No injuries this camp. I’m feeling good and just anxious to get back in there.”

Gaudinot made his first UFC appearance on “The Ultimate Fighter 14,” where he made it to the quarterfinals before Dustin Pague eliminated him. He was invited back to the season’s live finale, but Johnny Bedford beat him in the third round. Still, the UFC saw enough in his ability to bring back Gaudinot for one more look, and he was allowed to drop down to a more natural weight of 125 pounds.

He made the best of the opportunity by downing John Lineker, a man currently ranked No. 7 in the latest USA TODAY Sports/MMAjunkie.com MMA flyweight rankings. Additionally, the fighters were awarded the evening’s “Fight of the Night” bonus for their efforts.

But that was 15 months ago, and Gaudinot has been sidelined since. He chooses not to disclose the nature of his injuries, but he admits it’s been mentally frustrating as he’s watched the flyweight division develop, especially as Lineker has become a featured attraction.

“I had to take some time off and rehab and do a bunch of boring stuff,” Gaudinot said. “I just wanted to get out there and kickbox and grapple and roll and do all this other stuff. I had to take my time and sit on the sidelines and watch guys like Lineker, who I beat, win three in a row. It’s a little bit frustrating. I know everything happens for a reason, but it makes me excited to get back in there.”

Gaudinot gets that opportunity on Saturday night, when he meets Elliott on the FOX Sports 1-televised preliminary card of UFC 164, which takes place at Milwaukee’s Bradley Center and precedes the night’s pay-per-view main card.

Elliott also dropped his official UFC debut but has since bounced back with a win over Jared Papazian and is now an impressive 9-1 in his past 10 fights. Elliott isn’t necessarily the most refined flyweight in the division, but he makes up for it in sheer grit.

“I think the biggest thing he’s got going for him is he’s scrappy,” Gaudinot said. “He’s got an unorthodox style, and he likes to push the pace.

“I think he’s going to try and come out and push the pace, and I’m going to do the same to him. I think we have chance to steal the show and put on the ‘Fight of the Night.'”

If Gaudinot can push any potential cage rust aside and deliver a spectacular performance, he could make a big move up the 125-pound rankings. As a relatively new division, it doesn’t take more than one or two signature wins to put yourself in an enviable position. Gaudinot believes Saturday night may very well be his moment.

“I think if I go out there and I perform well on Saturday, I can move my way up into the top-5 and maybe get a No. 1 contender fight or who knows, maybe even a fight against ‘Mighty Mouse,'” Gaudinot said. “I predict a ‘Fight of the Night’ with me winning in the third round with a possible ‘Knockout of the Night’ with about a minute left.”

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